Financial Review Rich List
| Company type | Annual publication |
|---|---|
| Industry | Media, Publishing |
| Predecessor | BRW Rich 200 |
| Founded | 1984 |
| Founder | Business Review Weekly (BRW) |
| Headquarters | Sydney , Australia |
Area served | Australia |
| Owner | Nine Publishing |
| Website | https://www.afr.com/rich-list |
The Financial Review Rich List, previously identified as the BRW Rich 200, ranks the top two hundred wealthiest individuals and families in Australia based on their personal net worth. Issued annually within The Australian Financial Review Magazine, a supplement of The Australian Financial Review by Nine Publishing, this compilation highlights significant business developments and shifts in ranking positions.
Initially published each year around May or June by Business Review Weekly (BRW) under Fairfax Media, the last BRW print edition was released in November 2013. From 2014 until early 2016, the list was available exclusively online. Starting March 2016, it resumed print publication alongside its online version under The Australian Financial Review Magazine. The list was rebranded as the Financial Review Rich List in 2017, with the most recent issue appearing in May 2025.
In 2025, the minimum net worth required to enter the list stood at 747 million. Gina Rinehart ranked as Australia's wealthiest individual with a net worth of 38.11 billion. She initially led from 2011 through 2015 and reclaimed the top spot from 2020 onwards. Before her, Anthony Pratt and his family held the leading position during 2017 to 2019 and in 2009, while Harry Triguboff topped the chart in 2016 with a net worth of 10.62 billion.
Since the list’s inception, seven individuals or families have appeared consistently: Lindsay Fox, John Gandel, Solomon Lew, Frank Lowy, Alan Rydge, Kerry Stokes, and Harry Triguboff.
Female participation has notably increased over time, rising from fourteen women featured in 2014 to forty-two in 2025, indicating a growing gender diversity among Australia's wealthiest.
The total combined net worth of those listed reached 667 billion in 2025, averaging approximately 3.35 billion per entrant.
Background and history
Launched in 1984 as the BRW Rich 100, the list initially profiled 144 individuals alongside 20 families whose net worth exceeded 10 million.
In a notable shift during 2008, for the first time in over twenty years, neither Kerry nor James Packer occupied the top position; instead, Andrew Forrest led with an estimated fortune of 9.41 billion, while James Packer placed third at 6.1 billion. Subsequent leaders included Pratt (2009, 4.3 billion), Westfield founder Frank Lowy (2010, 5.04 billion), Rinehart (2011–2015), Triguboff (2016), Pratt again (2017–2019), followed by Rinehart resuming leadership from 2020 onward.
The list has occasionally generated debate; for example, entrepreneur Dick Smith, previously valued at 50 million, publicly donated 20 million to charitable causes to avoid inclusion when the entry cutoff was set at 35 million.
Only Australian citizens qualify for inclusion; despite his Australian origin and substantial wealth, Rupert Murdoch was excluded after becoming a US citizen in 1985.
From 2008 until 2015, the BRW Rich Families List was published annually and was consistently topped by the Smorgon family, whose wealth was estimated at 2.74 billion across seven branches in its final year. This list featured fifty families with minimum assets of 302 million but has not been released since then.
In March 2016, Fairfax Media discontinued the BRW website and merged its content into The Australian Financial Review. Since 2017, rich lists have been issued under the Financial Review Rich List title within The Australian Financial Review Magazine.
This ranking is part of a wider collection produced by Financial Review and formerly by BRW, which includes:
- BRW Rich series: Executive Rich, Young Rich, and Rich Summer
- BRW Fast list series: Fast Starters, Fast Franchises, and Fast 100
- BRW Top list series: Top 1000 Companies, Top 50 Entertainers, and Top 500 Private Companies
Annual Lists
- BRW Rich 100, 1984
- BRW Rich 200, 1985
- BRW Rich 200, 1986
- BRW Rich 200, 1987
- BRW Rich 200, 1988
- BRW Rich 200, 1989
- BRW Rich 200, 1990
- BRW Rich 200, 1991
- BRW Rich 200, 1992
- BRW Rich 200, 1993
- BRW Rich 200, 1994
- BRW Rich 200, 1995
- BRW Rich 200, 1996
- BRW Rich 200, 1997
- BRW Rich 200, 1998
- BRW Rich 200, 1999
- BRW Rich 200, 2000
- BRW Rich 200, 2001
- BRW Rich 200, 2002
- BRW Rich 200, 2003
- BRW Rich 200, 2004
- BRW Rich 200, 2005
- BRW Rich 200, 2006
- BRW Rich 200, 2007
- BRW Rich 200, 2008
- BR W Rich -2012
- BR W Rich -2013
- Financial Review Rich List ,2014
- Financial Review Rich List ,2015
- Financial Review Rich List ,2016
- Financial Review Rich List ,2017
- Financial Review Rich List ,2018
- Financial Review Rich List ,2019
- Financial Review Rich List ,2020
- Financial Review Rich List ,2021
- Financial Review Rich List ,2022
- Financial Review Rich List ,2023
- Financial Review Rich List ,2024
- Financial Review Rich List ,2025
Former Wealthiest Australians
| Year | Name | Net worth Template:AUD billion |
Primary wealth sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Template:Sortname | 0.20 | Publishing & Broadcasting Limited; Consolidated Media Holdings |
| 1985 | Template:Sortname | 0.30 | Bell Resources; diversified investments |
| 1986 | Template:Sortname | 0.60 | Diverse investment portfolio |
| 1987 | Template:Sortname | 1.40 | Bell Resources; varied investments |
| 1988–1994 | Template:Sortname | increased from1.50 to5.50 | Publishing & Broadcasting Limited; Consolidated Media Holdings |
| 1995–1999 | Template:Sortname | varied between3.00 and6.40 | Publishing & Broadcasting Limited; Consolidated Media Holdings |
| 2000–2005 | Template:Sortname | fluctuated from6.20 to6.90 | Publishing & Broadcasting Limited; Consolidated Media Holdings |
| 2006–07 | Template:Sortname | 7.10 to7.25 | Media; gaming and entertainment; investments |
| 2008 | Template:Sortname | 9.41 | Fortescue Metals Group |
| 2009 | Template:Sortname | 4.30 | Visy; investments |
| 2010 | Template:Sortname | 5.04 | Westfield Group; property (shopping centres) |
| 2011–15 | Template:Sortname | rose from10.31 to14.02 | Hancock Prospecting; media; investment |
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See also
- Forbes Asia: Australia's 50 Wealthiest, an annual compilation of affluent Australians by Forbes Asia
- Forbes China Rich List, yearly ranking of the richest individuals in China
- Challenges Les 500, annual directory of France's wealthiest people
- Forbes Korean Rich List, yearly listing of South Korea’s most affluent individuals
- Sunday Times Rich List, annual register of the United Kingdom’s richest persons
- Forbes 400, yearly index of top wealthy individuals in the United States of America
- BRW Fast Starters
- Australian Financial Review
External links
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Icon | Meaning |
| \u25A0 unchanged | \u25B2 No change from prior year |
| \u25B2 gain | \u25B2 Increased compared to previous year |
| \u25BC decline | \u25BC Decreased compared to previous year |